FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                January 30, 2004

 

NEARLY $25,000 GIVEN TO SUPPORT CARY ARTS

 

CARY, NC – Grants from the proceeds of the Town of Cary’s 2003 Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts festival this year go to more than 20 community organizations in Cary.  The grants are awarded for projects that benefit the Cary community and its citizens and meet at least one of the following criteria: 1) groups that a have a cultural arts focus, 2) projects that support Town of Cary initiatives, and 3) projects that support downtown Cary initiatives.  During the past 27 years, more than $160,000 has been returned to the Cary community through this grant program and more than 67 groups and projects have benefited.  

“The Festivals Committee is proud to distribute proceeds from the Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival to support and develop community projects within Cary ,” said Jay Miller, Festivals Committee Co-Chair.  “The grants program is the cornerstone of this wonderful festival and one element that not a lot of people know about”, he added.  

The following groups have been awarded a 2003 Lazy Daze Grant:  


Cary Family YMCA

$2,400.00

Cary Children's Concert Choir

$2,000.00

Cultural Unidas

$2,000.00

Fine Arts League of Cary

$2,000.00

Friends of Page Walker

$2,000.00

Cary Ballet Company

$1,500.00

Cary Visual Art, Inc.

$1,500.00

Concert Singers of Cary

$1,500.00

White Plains Children Center

$1,500.00

Cary MacGregor Rotary Club

$1,000.00

Cary Teen Council

$1,000.00

Cary-Apex Piano Teachers' Association

$1,000.00

Scottish Organization of the Triangle

$1,000.00

Sister Cities

$1,000.00

The Carying Place, Inc.

$1,000.00

Cary Area EMS, Inc.

$500.00

Cary High NJROTC

$500.00

Cary Town Band

$500.00

Veterans Freedom Park

$500.00

Cary Community Choir

$300.00

MLK, Jr. Task Force of Cary

$300.00


Some of specific projects to be supported through the Lazy Daze grants include “A Celebration of Children in the Arts” produced by the Cary Ballet Company which showcases young talent in the area; the annual Christmas Messiah Sing produced by the Cary Community Choir; a college scholarship given by the Cary Teen Council that recognizes an outstanding Cary teenager who is active on the Teen Council; preserving artwork that will become part of the Cary Heritage Museum, spearheaded by the Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel; and a project produced by the Sister Cities Association that will bring the Town Crier from Cary’s sister city, Markham, Ontario, Canada to the 2004 Lazy Daze festival as a participant.  Additionally, they plan to bring a full gallery exhibit of artwork representative of Ontario .  

The 2004 Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival will be held in downtown Cary on Saturday, August 28, 2004 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival has become one of the South's premier festivals.  Every year, on the last Saturday in August, an estimated 50,000 people travel to downtown Cary to enjoy the handiwork of the very best artists and craftspeople in the country.  This year, visitors will enjoy the usual mix of great food, over 400 local and national artisans, and the best of regional entertainment.  “We’re really proud of the fact that we are able to represent Cary throughout the Southeast with Lazy Daze’s reputation as a high-quality festival”, said Joy Cox, Festival Coordinator for the Town of Cary .   

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PRIMARY CONTACTS:

Joy Cox, Festivals Coordinator, (919) 462-3864
Lyman Collins, Cultural Arts Manager (919) 462-3861
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, (919) 460-4951